You may have heard about some issues with the large concrete pontoons being built for the new 520 bridge across Lake Washington. Several of them sprung leaks and cracks after the cement set in Aberdeen.

But the state Department of Transportation says drivers don’t need to worry; the situation is under control.

Click the "play" icon below to see video of State Construction Engineer Jeff Carpenter describing how pontoon cracks are being patched to ensure they will last 75 years, as stipulated in the design plan:

A design for parks and gardens on the South Park neighborhood's waterfront won the international competition to create a use for the old 520 floating bridge pontoons, according to the competition's Facebook page. The "Food Bridge" would be set afloat along the Duwamish River.

Tolling rates are going up on the 520 bridge this Sunday, in the first of four annual rate hikes. The 2.5% increase will add about an extra dime to peak fees. It comes 6 months after tolling began on the bridge between Seattle and the east side.

People who drive over the State Route 520 floating bridge will likely have a few more months before tolls kick in. The latest estimate of when charges would begin is now August, but the Washington State Department of Transportation won't commit to a date.

A $4.6 billion project to replace the Highway 520 floating bridge and improve the corridor between Seattle and Bellevue is moving ahead.

The Washington Transportation Department released the final environmental impact statement Thursday for a six-lane bridge to replace the four-lane bridge on Lake Washington.

The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce reports the Federal Highway Administration is expected to approve the project next month. Construction would begin next year and the bridge should be completed by 2015, although the whole project may take until 2018.

A new species of crab spider was found last spring by Rob Crawford, curator of arachnids for the Univesity of Washington's Burke Museum. He discovered it on Foster Island in the Washington Park Arboretum. Seattlepi.com reports a team of students will soon be scouring the island for more information.

While it's a good idea to be prepared, sometimes it's good not to move too fast.

Apparently there are glitches in the state's new "Good to Go" tolling system. The State Department of Transportation says it will revamp the sign-up process after complaints by frustrated motorists trying to buy transponders online. As Mike Lindblom reports in The Seattle Times: